Banshee Co-Creator Brings Warrior TV Series to Cinemax, a Passion Project of the Late Bruce Lee

From Cinemax, Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper, executive producer Justin Lin, Danielle Woodrow via Perfect Storm Entertainment, and Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment, comes the 10-episode series Warrior, inspired from an idea by the late martial arts action star Bruce Lee. There is no release date at this time.

Warrior is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family).

“Warrior follows in the spirit of the tradition of adrenalized Cinemax dramas that we established with Strike Back and Banshee. We are brimming with excitement for this unique martial arts series combining Bruce Lee’s inspired conception with the immense storytelling talents of Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin.” said Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming.

Justin Lin had previously tried to get Warrior onto the smallscreen four years prior, but it didn’t work out. It’s nice to see that this gritty, action-crime drama with a heavy aspect in martial arts is making the move to the same network that gave us BANSHEE — one of the best action dramas ever made. When Lee died at the age of 32 in 1973, his family discovered several notes that the performer had written about the Warrior concept, so it’s amazing to see all of that coming to light decades later with an incredible creative team.

“I’ve always admired Bruce Lee for his trailblazing efforts opening doors for Asians in entertainment and beyond. So I was intrigued when Danielle told me about the urban legend of his never-produced idea for a TV show and suggested we bring it to life. Then when Shannon shared with us her father’s writings: rich with Lee’s unique philosophies on life, and through a point of view rarely depicted on screen – Danielle and I knew that Perfect Storm had to make it. Partnering with Cinemax has led to a wonderful collaboration with Jonathan Tropper, who has created a fantastic series inspired by Lee’s writings. We are all honored to continue what he started.” said Justin Lin.